TGA North was full of gamers and the place was buzzing! Some of the tables were not available as they were loaded with material for:

I have been told there will be fully working versions of these there too:

That's right, the most iconic nemesis of Doctor Who will be patrolling the grounds to make sure everyone is having a good time. Make sure you do or we are all doomed!

Our intrepid champions leave the safety of the bandit barracks and continue to explore. The next door opens to a long hallway that ends in a drop to flowing water and other things more sinister...and hungry!

CARRION CRAWLERS ATTACK!

And boy do they stink!

Making thier way up the party is attacked! The Cleric is pummelled by a multitude of tenticles rendering him paralysed on the floor. The Silvonesti Elf leaps to his aid and although he is struck the effect is not enough to slow him down. After dispatching these creatures the party decides not to descend the hole and make thier way to another room. A two foot hole in one corner of this room is an opening to a small tunnel, but being too big for them to enter all but the Silvonesti Elf and Kender decide to move on.

GIANT RATS!

While the group is making a lot of noise destroying furniture and bashing open doors further down the hall the Kender is nearly overrun by giant rats while trying to study the hole further. Attracted to the prospect of a meal a battle ensues with the rats and although the party is successful more than a few have many bite marks on them. The rats looked sickly so it could mean trouble.

THAT'S NO CHEST

End of the line for this direction where the party finds a room filled with a bookcase and very large chest. Approaching the chest the Monk is made aware everything is not right when it shifts slightly. Too late though as the Kender is too quick with curiosity.

A mimic creature posing as the chest knocks the Kender down and uses it's adhesive ability to keep him stuck. The party rushes to his aid but is hindered by the small hallway. The Monk uses his fists to bash it only to get one arm stuck himself. The Silvonesti Elf launches himself over the downed pair and carves the mimic a fatal wound with his fine sword.

LEVEL UP AGAIN

Having faced some serious opposition and overcoming it all the party is rewarded with a level up. Their is still one more door to try back near the entrance or they can adventure down to the water and see where it leads.

Not a single five was rolled by the DM meaning the dry spell is over and all I can say is:

SUNDAY, 14TH AUGUST 2011 - TGA CENTRAL

Although the clouds were out the weather was great, and so was lunch as we all enjoyed Devilled Sausages and mashed potatoes (becoming a favourite with many it would seem). The games being played were Blood Bowl, BattleTech, Warhammer 40K, Warmachine, and two game systems with an exciting event coming up for each of them very soon; Malifaux and Warhammer.

COMING UP

Two weeks to go until TGA has it's first Malifaux tournament. Not only do we have a great lunch planned for the day but those taking part have the chance to win some amazing Wyrd Miniatures prizes. Head to the official thread HERE to find out how you can be a part of history. In the meantime you can still play in TGA North's Malifaux Escalation Campaign to get your game up to speed.

If you are into Warhammer then this is the one not to miss. Another Fusion Initiative classic by Elarti Games founder Nathan 'Ratt' Gall. Tickets are now available and with it being just around the corner you will want to secure a place. Visit the official thread HERE and get amongst it.

TGA - OUR AWESOME TOUCHES EVERYTHING

_________________Catalyst Games Labs Demo Team Member #139: BattleTech FTW!

Everyone was in a cheerful mood (even those who lost thier games) and it was a great night at TGA North. Maybe it had something to do with the club getting it's hands on Subway cookie dough. Yum!

Some casual army painting and general games were played...

...as Blood Bowl took centre stage with many games from Perth's Brawl League

Bushido made an appearance with more than a few people taking an interest.

The Grey Knights and Black Templars wage war

We also had games of Warmachine/Hordes plus discussions of Dream Pod 9's Heavy Gear, and Wyrd Miniatures Malifaux.

All in all, it was an enjoyable and eventful night at TGA North.

SUNDAY, 21ST AUGUST 2011 - TGA CENTRAL

Continuing the great weekend of gaming, TGA Central had a big list of games happening starting with:

BattleMechs continued to march across planets of the Inner Sphere.

The first HUNTERS PARADISE event linked to the campaign will be on Saturday, 3rd September 2011. Players looking to take part must have the pilot and BattleMech purchased during their weekly orders before the event to take part.

Star Wars fans enjoyed some pre-painted miniatures action.

Blood Bowl and Warhammer 40K had more than a few games happeningâ€¦.

â€¦.and the same with Warmachine.

Flames of War was there too.

TGAâ€™s Crimson Skies League reached a new awesome high this weekend as the players had their first chance at the Leviathan!

Get involved because itâ€™s lots of fun!

COMING UP

Next Sunday, 28th August at TGA Central is:

This quality event is set to be the Malifaux event not to be missed in 2011. Visit the official thread HERE to get the players pack and all the latest news.

_________________Catalyst Games Labs Demo Team Member #139: BattleTech FTW!

But, just like that they are all gone. It goes to show if itâ€™s good itâ€™s at TGA, but you have to be quick. Maybe soon there will be more, but until then I am guessing more than a few people would not be sleeping that night as sugar keeps them company. Still, the cookies did help everyone enjoy their games, like Warmachine, Warhammer 40,000, and Blood Bowl.

Yet again, the ever popular Dragonlance campaign was happening.

So, the party has a few options from the end of last session:
- Descend the shaft to the water below to see what is waiting for them.
- Try the door left of the stairs they came down at the start.
- Head back to the surface and decide where to go from there.

Letâ€™s see what happened.

THE WAY IS SHUT

Ascending the stairs to return to Lusid the party discovers the entrance locked down tight. It became obvious that the one bandit who escaped was responsible. Unable to open it from inside the only option left if they wanted to escape was to see if the shaft down leads to another way out.

With the room and shaft still smelling foul from the Carrion Crawlers, the party descends down.

Following the water flow through the tunnels our heroes come across an opening that connects to a hallway of a much larger purpose built dungeon. Deciding to stop and investigate rather than continue following the water the party encounters a small chamber inhabited by kobolds.

AGAINST ALL ODDS

The Monk having seen movement and hearing the kobolds throws caution to the wind and barrels into the chamber proper. There were lots of kobolds! One kobold dressed in flowing robes orders the capture of these intruders.

The party was outnumbered a great many times over but they fought well using all the skills and spells at their disposal to thin the kobold numbers. The robed kobold spoke to them in the common tongue ordering their surrender, an offer the party refused. It was then the robed kobold used magic to weaken the party wounding the Kender and Druid as they watched the Monk fall.

It was at this point that the party was to face more dangerous foes...

SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIENDS

The robed kobold retreated down another passage as a massive gate closed behind the party blocking the entrance into the chamber. Panic spread through the kobolds as iron gates sealing darkened rooms scattered about the chamber began to rise...

Frantically the remaining kobolds fled towards the now barred passageway taken by the robed kobold. Bursting into the chamber were creatures unlike anything the party had seen before. The first to appear were three of what looked like a large maw filled with sharp teeth on multiple stubby legs. Eyes and small appendages grew out from their bodies in random places. One of these creatures grabbed an unlucky fleeing kobold and devoured it in an instant! Sensing more food this demonic trio wasted no time attacking the now cornered prey.

The other beast was a fusion of demon and hyena resulting in an oversized creature with unnatural speed and a poisonous tail. It bounded across the chamber, the Cleric impaled by the large stinger. Although the stinger itself left a gash it was the poison that was the true danger. With Paladine watching over him the Cleric removed the stinger before it could inject him and distracted the beast long enough for the Druidâ€™s wolf to lay the killing blow.

With the Kobolds all eaten, the trio of bulbous maws turned on the party. The Monk, now healed and conscious again, was attacked first and nearly consumed whole if not for the quick actions of the other heroes. Archery proved effective as the Kender and Gnome combined forces to end the fight.

Victory was theirs, but the party is now trapped in the chamber. Two weeks and we will find out what happens next.

For those who are not aware this has been a â€˜Beta Testâ€™ (so to speak) for role playing games at TGA. We are always questioned about whether role playing games are actually allowed considering we primarily promote tabletop miniature war gaming as a club focus.

The answer to this is of course yes they are!

Although we are founded on tabletop miniature war gaming we do have other related systems of the hobby played at the club, especially on a Friday at TGA North and now the first Saturday of each month at TGA Central. We are constantly looking to set high standards to which Perthâ€™s gamers should strive for (and deserve!) purely to encourage people to grow the hobby as a whole. It was important to keep that â€˜WOW!â€™ factor TGA is so famous for with its tabletop miniature war gaming.

An official guideline has now been introduced for GMâ€™s who wish to host role playing games at TGA. This is based primarily on what has happened with the Dragonlance Pathfinder campaign, but also from peopleâ€™s feedback. These guidelines are considered the baseline expectation. You can read all about it HERE.

Game Masters, TGA welcomes you and we hope to see you and your many shaped dice across a table soon!

SUNDAY, 28TH AUGUST 2011 - TGA CENTRAL

A packed house and it was Malifaux baby!

â€˜Dead Manâ€™s Headâ€™ was a great success with players travelling from all over the city to be a part of history at TGA.

Be sure to check out the official thread HERE to take part in the after event discussion.

Of course, there were other games happening as well.

We also had Lord of The Rings, Warhammer 40,000, and Warhammer Fantasy (with lots of Ogre Kingdom talk).

COMING UP

Next week is another three days of TGA as Saturday, 3rd September will see TGA Central open from 9:00am â€“ 6:00pm. If you are free let everyone know to come on down and play some games.

If you are there you will see the first Hunters Paradise event for TGAâ€™s very successful BattleTech Campaign 2011.

Custom designs by players hit the arena floor to win glory!

TGA â€“ WHERE A â€˜BFGâ€™ IS STANDARD ISSUE

_________________Catalyst Games Labs Demo Team Member #139: BattleTech FTW!

Ok people, just let me catch my breath a little hereâ€¦.Phew! Man, itâ€™s getting tough to keep up with everything going on at TGA these days. But, being open for three days rocks!

FRIDAY, 2ND SEPTEMBER 2011 - TGA NORTH

TGAâ€™s Heavy Gear order has arrived!

After the very successful Heavy Gear demo weekend at TGA a few weeks ago the club took advantage of a special offer through the Dream Pod 9 website. After waiting patiently the bulk order has arrived and we are all ready to assemble our armies.

Talks of tournaments in 2012 for this great game are underway too. Huzzah!

We had games of Infinityâ€¦

â€¦.and of course, Warmachine/Hordes.

With the official announcement for potential Game Masters to come and play at TGA we have had some interest already. My own Dragon Lance campaign has expanded to its limit of eight players with some nicely painted miniatures on the way.

If you are a Game Master you can read all about how to get your campaign going at TGA HERE.

SATURDAY, 3RD SEPTEMBER 2011 - TGA CENTRAL

People are starting to get into the rythum of TGA Central and the first Saturday of the month. It is amazing how quickly a month passes. Good stuff!

There were some new players looking to learn the tactics of Flames Of War which is becoming quite popular.

There were more games of Warhammer 40,000â€¦.

â€¦and with the excitement of the â€˜Dead Manâ€™s Headâ€™ tournament still lingering in the hall people were eager to get in more games of Malifaux too.

Warhammer Fantasy Battles players rejoice. Games Workshopâ€™s new Ogre Kingdoms releases are here! Just in time for next Sundayâ€™s super fun event: Arcane Destruction 3! There were those fresh from Tactics in the city loaded to the brim with the new boxed sets and the day was spent assembling these amazing new miniatures.

SUNDAY, 4TH SEPTEMBER 2011 - TGA CENTRAL

I will be honest with you; TGA Central just has a bucket load of games happening now even if it was Fatherâ€™s Day. Those who could were there to play more games of Warhammer Fantasy and Blood Bowl. The back room seemed to be the designated miniature building room as the Ogre armies continued to grow in size. Some of you will be (un)lucky enough to face them in Arcane Destruction 3 next weekend.

COMING UP

Next weekend is going to be big for TGA as well. On Saturday, 10th September we will have a stand at WASMEx!

Arguably Perthâ€™s best convention for scale modelling, if you can make it to the Cannington Greyhounds then you wonâ€™t be disappointed. TGA has made a big impact on the war gaming side for WASMEx and we are looking to do it again this year. We will be having games happening all day so bring your armies and your mates along.

Three days of gaming, events, tournaments, and hobby. Its good to be at TGA!

FRIDAY, 9TH SEPTEMBER 2011 - TGA NORTH

The adventure continues.

Little did the players know, but this night they would have to say goodbye to one of their ownâ€¦

After the dust settled with the battle against the demonic beasts the monk made efforts to reach his backpack that was dropped on the floor before the main gate came down. Looking up he found it held in the hand of a plainsman.

Like the party, Drest the barbarian was on a mission of his own and had discovered the same set of catacombs. After working with the party to discover how to operate all the gates to the chamber the party chose to rest and recover their spells. After a few hours the sound of heavy lumbering footsteps could be heard travelling closer.

A large metallic golem armed with a massive claw and hammer strode into the chamber. Without hesitation the barbarian and Silvonesti elf leapt to contain it while the rest of the party moved down the corridors to see if there was any escape.

Taking separate corridors both the gnome and the kender came under attack from multiple dart traps set into the walls. The kender dropped to the floor and crawled while the gnome charged as fast as she could, nearly dying from multiple stab wounds.

The golem, although slow was a dangerous opponent as arrows and swords bounced off its hide. The barbarian showed his resilience when he was wounded by its giant claw, a hit that would have dropped anyone else. The call for retreat was sounded by the majority of the party but the silvonesti elf ignored the advice and pressed the attack once more. This proved to be a fatal mistake as the golem dropped its mighty hammer arm down crushing the elf into the chamber rock floorâ€¦.

The cleric cast a spell to heat metal in the hopes that would stop the golem, which it did. A moment passed and the golem began to slowly melt as it heated up allowing the barbarian to dismantle it with his great axe. The party remained quiet for a moment as they realised that a member had indeed been killed which means that the player has also been removed from the campaign as wellâ€¦..

Carefully avoiding setting off more traps the party arrives at a doorway and prepare to enter the room beyond. Out of the corner of his eye the kender sees another room with a finely crafted water fountain. Getting distracted as all kender tend to do he made his way over to see the basin filled with coins, jewellery, and all manner of exotic wares.

Before the gnome could finish shouting out a warning the kender had plucked a jade horse statue from the water. Suddenly a magical barrier appeared separating the party from the room which was now filling up with water.

The Dungeon Master speaks: â€˜Kender, you now have 30 minutes real time to figure out how to stop the water or you drown.â€™

The gnome, frantic at the prospect of losing the object of her life quest shouted instructions of things to try. However, it wasnâ€™t until an inscription carved into the fountain revealed a clue that dropped the barrier with only 8 minutes to spare.

The party finally make their way to the surface and back to Lusid where they are currently resting up for the next session in two weeks.

SATURDAY, 10TH SEPTEMBER 2011 - WASMEx

We were right there in amongst the excitement of the painted miniatures judging as we took centre stage in the main judging hall. Our tables were the focus of much attention by those looking to see what all the fuss was about.

Here you see the work in progress for a snow graveyard table. This is inspiration taken from one of the stories within Malifaux by Wyrd Miniatures. We also had many demonstration games happening for those who wanted to know what we do as a club.

Although WASMEx is a two day affair TGA was needed elsewhere on the Sunday for something just as big.

SUNDAY, 11TH SEPTEMBER 2011 - TGA CENTRAL

Warhammer fans, the wait is over as Arcane Destruction 3 is here.

A serious Skaven incursion for the points.

The competition was very close all day.

The new ogre armies book proved popular with the players taking them.

TGA Central was packed as gamers enjoyed Warhammer 40,000, War at Sea, Warmachine, Heavy Gear, BattleTech, hobby and painting, etc. It was a seriously eventful day and it was good to see everyone.

COMING UP

October is Lord of The Rings. A Good and Evil force both totalling 800 points is required. More information can be found in the â€˜Upcoming Eventsâ€™ section on the main page of http://www.tgaperth.com.

TGA â€“ IF IT BLEEDS WE CAN KILL IT!

_________________Catalyst Games Labs Demo Team Member #139: BattleTech FTW!

Thanks to the 18 players who turned up for Arcane Destruction 3... I will be posting full results to the tournament here on Westgamer on Tuesday Afternoon - Apologies for the wait, but those wanting to check them out earlier can see them on www.tgaperth.com Monday Afternoon...

Everyone at TGA Central was treated to a surprise at the kiosk. Apart from having Dr Pepper we also had cans of Coca Cola that was bottled in the United States. Thatâ€™s right people, the genuine article direct from the US of A.

The games of Warmachine continued at TGA Centralâ€¦

â€¦and with another TGA Warhammer Escalation Campaign about to start people were in the mood to play.

The War At Sea boys decided the ocean needed to be bigger and were sporting TWO mats to wage war over. Fantastic!

Heavy Gear games in action. The game has rules that are not what people are used to, but make more sense once you figure it out. Tactically, a real nut buster!

Blood Bowl and Malifaux were there, as well as Wyrd Miniatures new Puppet Wars board game.

COMING UP

Three weeks until the Lord of The Rings Cup 2011.

TGA â€“ AMERICAN COCA COLA? YEE HAW!

_________________Catalyst Games Labs Demo Team Member #139: BattleTech FTW!

Another great turnout a TGA North with lots of games happening. Advertising you are looking for a game on the forums at http://www.tgaperth.com is another great way to get games so consider signing up. In other news from TGA North there was some brain storming over the rules for the upcoming new TGA Heavy Gear 2011 Campaign happening soon. Keep reading further down to learn more.

We return to the town of Lusid once more. Our party of brave adventurers set out to help cure Quivalin Avondale, a Red Robed Wizard and owner of the local magic shop, who has fallen victim to nightmares of a creature that stalks and kills him each night. At first this was just making him tired and unable to sleep, but now the dream state is causing physical wounds to appear.

Two ingredients are needed; the first is fresh saliva from a dire bear, the other is a tentacle from a grick monster. These will be used to make a potion that is believed will free Quivalin of the beast. Having decided that searching any known caves in the region would be a good starting point the party heads back into the wilderness not knowing that soon they would meet up with someone from there recent pastâ€¦

After a half days travel the noise of combat and the roar of a bear could be heard through the forest. Following the sound to a clearing the party comes across a familiar face from the tavern in Lusid; the warrior Vrax, brother to the Black Robed woman mentioned in the letter from the bandit camp near the river.

Vrax is accompanied by two other human warriors wielding crossbows and all are locked in mortal combat with a massive dire bear! Initially the party rushes to the aid of Vrax as he is flung clear of melee by one swipe from the mighty beast.

As they all get closer the party notices the dire bear is also protecting a cub which creates confusion as to what to do. Sides are formed as the elven druid changes tactics sending her bonded wolf to attack the crossbowmen while shouting threats to let the dire bear live. The barbarian was already locked in combat but is mauled falling unconscious at the dire bearâ€™s feet. The majority of the party sided with the druid and the two groups came to a truce.

The dire bear was eventually allowed to leave with her cub, but the two groups decide to follow and work together to achieve a non-lethal method to get the saliva. After trailing the dire bear back to her cave the kender used his magical talent to levitate a small vial near the dire bearâ€™s mouth collecting some saliva.

Satisfied the two groups decide to continue working together to get the last ingredient; a grick monsterâ€™s tentacle. Heading to the next cave the party discovers it has been occupied by a gnoll tribe. Using the forest trees as cover the party advances on the entrance to ambush the seven gnolls milling about outside.

Gnolls, having a acute sense of small detects the party before they can get into position and rushes them! The tribe is alerted to the noise outside and now they are pouring out of the cave entrance excited at the prospect of fresh meat.

Time has run out for this session so the action will continue next time.

SUNDAY, 25TH SEPTEMBER 2011 â€“ TGA CENTRAL

News of fresh horrible graffiti all over the building that is TGA North done in the early hours of Saturday morning is not what you want to hear on any day. If anyone has information please come forward so we can catch who did it.

In lighter news here is what went on at TGA Central this week.

COMING UP

TGA Central will be starting two new events soon. The first is for Dream Pod 9â€™s fantastic Heavy Gear game.

We donâ€™t have a name for the campaign yet, but here you see the map of the planet Terra Nova where the game is set which we will be using:

This 1000mm x 800mm laminated map will be mounted onto our new magnetic whiteboard at TGA Central. Using a combination of magnetic counters and white board markers to chart the progress of each player this map will also provide a nice addition to the walls of the clubroom. Go HERE to find out the latest now!

The second is â€˜Legions of the Bastionâ€™ TGAâ€™s new Warhammer Escalation League scheduled for the start of October 2011.

Warhammer has always been popular at TGA ever since we first opened and this looks to be the case still. If you would like to play (we have a lot of people signed up already) then head HERE to register. It is being run by non other than TGA Lord Cameron Sheridan so you know it will be fun!

Both of these campaigns/leagues will have the flexibility to be played at either TGA clubs so there is no excuse not to get involved and have some fun.

Two weeks until the Lord of The Rings Cup 2011 and the flyers are in the stores around Perth. Lets make it a great event!

Warmachine/Hordes fans, donâ€™t forget that in November TGA has another great Fusion Initiative tournament: FoodMachine 2011. If you like the odds in your favour then bring your cans of food to help the needy and secure your place on the podium.

TGA â€“ 100% ADDICTION RATE

_________________Catalyst Games Labs Demo Team Member #139: BattleTech FTW!

The last of the details were ironed out for Legions of the Bastion, TGAâ€™s fantastic new Warhammer League that begins next week. With just about every race being represented by the 20+ players this is going to be a great event.

SATURDAY, 1ST OCTOBER 2011 â€“ TGA CENTRAL

With the AFL Grand Final, Rugby Union World Cup, and another club having a tournament it was a quiet day at TGA Central for a change. I had to work so I was unable to get any pictures of the games happening so read on to Sunday for tabletop gaming eye candy.

SUNDAY, 2ND OCTOBER 2011 â€“ TGA CENTRAL

The AFL Grand Final is over and although there were a few still recovering a little from the celebrating there was still a lot going on.

There was some last minute painting happening all day to get those armies looking great on the table. Here we see Cameron turning from his favoured God Slaanesh to go with a more â€˜smash yoâ€™ faceâ€™ approach with Khorne.

Tomorrow it begins and the first round match ups will get underway. Huzzah! Head HERE to keep up with the latest news about the league.

Other modelling on the day included some miniatures for Dream Pod 9â€™s Heavy Gear as well as Games Workshopâ€™s Epic: Armageddon.

As far as games we had Warhammer 40,000...

Malifauxâ€¦

Blood Bowl, and BattleTech.

COMING UP

Ok, this is REALLY close now people. The One Ring is ending up with someone soon, but who will it be? We will find out next weekend.

The rules for this campaign are in a rough draft player pack and will be available shortly. Go HERE to join in the discussion regarding the campaign and where we are up to.

VIVA HEAVY GEAR!

Star Trek fans rejoice as Mongoose Publishing based out of the UK have listed October 2011 as the month to release their much anticipated A Call To Arms: Star Fleet tabletop miniatures game.

The game will use the same licensed miniatures by Amarillo Designs Bureau, the makers of the long running Star Fleet Battles and the newer faster play Federation Commander. A few games of Federation Commander have already happened at TGA which was well received by everyone.

Regardless of which version of the game we plan to run with we have an amazing campaign map ready to go to the printers:

TGA Central is going to be absolutely bursting at the seams with events. Just the way we like it!

TGA â€“ â€˜ITâ€™S PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!â€™

_________________Catalyst Games Labs Demo Team Member #139: BattleTech FTW!